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  • "Dr bob, in your opinion The Bartman is right, but I don't agree with you. If you can reduce the risk, regardless of who is to blame, then only the most heartless car-driver would disagree, surely. When I drive near any school at home time I drive slowly enough to stop if someone should run out. I watch the kids and try to see if any of them are too close to the road. This morning I drove out of my house and had to stop as an elderly lady walked into the road without checking. I know elderly people live near me so I drive accordingly. The speed limit is a legal maximum, not a target! You should use your own intelligence to work out what speed you should drive according to the road conditions.

    And by the way, there IS no green man, or flashing lights, at Larkmead."
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Head's plea for crossing

7:00pm Saturday 28th April 2012 in Abingdon Photograph of the Author By Damian Fantato , covering Summertown, Jericho and North Oxford. Call me on 01865 425429

AN ABINGDON headmaster is calling for traffic calming measures near his school after the latest accident involving a pupil.

Chris Harris, who is headteacher of Larkmead School, wants measures in Spring Road and Faringdon Road, including a dedicated crossing, to prevent further accidents.

On Wednesday a boy ran out and was involved in an accident with a Mercedes car.

He was taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg but doctors found he had no broken bones.

In the past four years two children have been killed on the roads around Larkmead while making their way to or from school.

Mr Harris said: “We have already done everything we can short of being able to get these traffic-calming measures.

“There is still a need for more road awareness and eduction and this week’s accident emphasises that but this was not the kind of incident that our systems would probably prevent.

“We work very hard to have a safe system and have invested quite a lot of money in it.”

Mr Harris said the school has a crossing patrol officer and tells cyclists to leave the school via the rear exit to prevent a rush of cyclists leaving the premises at the end of the day.

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As well as trying to prevent children from becoming involved in accidents as they come and go from the school, Larkmead also holds assemblies on the topic of road safety to educate its pupils.

In 2008, 17-year-old Larkmead pupil Sarah Waterhouse was killed when she collided with a coach while cycling to school.

The school then launched a road safety campaign in her honour.

In 2009 another schoolgirl, 11-year-old Ty-Ree Partridge, died after colliding with a van.

Thames Valley Police said a driver was questioned at the scene of Wednesday's crash but was not reported.

Oxfordshire County Council was unavailable to comment.

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